Some security cameras operate in one of two modes (i.e., Day mode and Night mode) depending on the ambient lighting conditions. Day mode is used when there is sufficient ambient light to adequately illuminate the scene. Night mode (also called infrared mode) is used when there is not enough ambient light to adequately illuminate the scene, in which case the camera relies on additional infrared illumination (e.g., using onboard infrared light emitting diodes). A security camera configured to operate in both Day mode and Night mode often includes an infrared (IR) filter that is disposed at two distinct locations associated with Day and Night modes, respectively. Specifically, in Day mode, the IR filter is disposed with a first position in which it is interposed between a lens assembly and a sensor array of the camera, while in Night mode, the IR filter is disposed with a second position in which it is not interposed between the lens assembly and the sensor array. As part of initiating a change of the camera mode to Night mode, the IR filter has to be mechanically moved from the first position to the second position, and as part of initiating a change of the camera mode to Day mode, the IR filter has to be mechanically moved from the second position to the first position.
One challenge for such security cameras is mechanical failure of the IR filter due to constant switching of the security cameras between Day mode and Night mode. These security cameras often have to operate constantly over days, months and even years (e.g., switch between the day and Night modes at least twice every day), and a mechanical motor that drives the IR filter could fail in the long term due to such constant operation. Thus, it would be beneficial to use a more reliable filtering mechanism in a security camera than the current mechanically driven IR filter.